Hello all,
I am on my second day of knitting, including yesterday when I bought my needles and yarn. I would love some advise about why my purl stitches seem to switch back and forth from side to side of my projects. I seemed to get the knit stitch down quickly, but I cannot figure out why my purls aren't all on the same side and are instead on the front and back of the project. Am I not holding the knit work correctly - so that I am flipping from front to back when I begin stitching the next row? I would really love some advise on this.
Also I just completed my first cast off. What should I do with the string at the end? Tie it?

It's something that freaks out new knitters - they knit a whole row then wonder why they get purl stitches. The back of a knit is a purl, the back of a purl is a knit. They're the same stitch, just done differently according to which side is facing you.

It's the reason why I was so glad that the friend who taught me to knit started me out on an alternating square pattern blanket. Knitting ten, purling ten, rinse repeat for 100 stitches and then turn it around and purl where you knit, knit where your purled... it all snapped in to place very quickly for me.

Pretty soon you'll look at a sweater someone has on and think to yourself, "How clever for them to have purled right there, it is such an interesting texture!"